Purée all but ¼ cup (60 ml) of fiddleheads. Chop the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of fiddleheads into small pieces, set aside.

Place all the ingredients in a large pot, except for the milk. Simmer until the larger pieces of fiddleheads are tender, about 40 minutes on low heat. Add milk and simmer 20 more minutes. Serve piping hot with biscuits, bread or dumplings.